Who are the people who have given you the most in your life? I don't mean the sort of giving that comes with a price tag at holidays, but the sort of giving that left an indelible mark on you. ...But That Was [Yesterday] is the first place award winning entry into our 9th Casual Gameplay Design Competition by Michael Molinari (OneMrBean); a game that's more interactive narrative than gameplay, and in which you follow one person through their emotions and memories to learn about the influential people in his life and what they've left him with. The end result is a bitter-sweet, introspective game that feels at once both deeply personal, but at the same time universally relevant for everyone.

Although the game doesn't present you with any instructions, it should be fairly simple to figure out what you're supposed to do. From time to time, and from different characters, prompts will appear onscreen to indicate you should hit an [arrow] key to perform an action. These actions will help you bypass obstacles as they appear, and will carry you through the story to the end.

Analysis: Since [Yesterday] fits most easily into the category of interactive art and narrative, let's get the aesthetics out of the way first. When it comes to immersion, a lot of people underestimate the importance of audio; you may not always realise it, but an appropriate music track, even a very unobtrusive one, can mean the difference between a game that remains in your memory for years versus one you can't remember playing the next day. The soundtrack here is perfect and really captures the mood, and the art design is striking, full of soft colours and simple, fluid animation that bring the faceless characters to life.

As lovely as it all is, it does sort of feel as though some sequences drag on a little longer than they should. Each character the game introduces to you teaches something new, and more often than not they want you to prove you can follow instructions over and over until the game will let you progress, and then you have to do it all over again alone for a while. [Yesterday] is a very slow, thoughtful sort of game, and the emphasis here is definitely on the experience and the narrative. You'd also be forgiven in thinking there's not much to the gameplay; since you can't fail, and there's only one path, from a very basic perspective you're just accomplishing tasks to advance the story.

However, there aren't many games that have made me give a soft, satisfied sigh upon finishing them, the sort of thing generally reserved for snuggling into a warm blanket at the end of a long day, but [Yesterday] managed it handily. It was amazing to watch the flood of comments, both on site and on Twitter, from people who got emotionally involved in [Yesterday]; they ranged from simple messages of praise to more personal stories of events that impacted their own lives in a manner the game identified with. It's one of the strongest community reactions I've ever seen, with people commenting not just as critical gamers, but as human beings, and for me it was completely unexpected.

...But That Was [Yesterday] is still a lovingly crafted title that is an absolute must play for anyone who enjoys art or emotional stories. While there's not much gameplay, there is a lot to take in from it, and for the ten-fifteen minutes or so it'll take you to play it, there's no finer way to get a little bit of warm sentiment and perspective ...from a game.

"Don't start the fire"
Don't know if anyone noticed but I played this twice, in the end the green boy appears (somehow). Could this be the secret ending OneMrBean was talking about (maybe there's more).

Maybe you can't connect with this game on the same level other people have. When I played it, I was bawling the whole time. I played through it again immediately afterward and started crying again.

I lost my best friend this summer (he didn't die, just told me that he didn't want to be friends anymore - no explanation). And I think for anyone who has had a good friend and lost him, or who has had a beloved pet, or someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, or maybe something else entirely, this game will provide an incredibly moving, earth-shaking experience. There is nothing that I have experienced this year that has been more touching and gratifying than this game, and for me it was devastatingly therapeutic.

For those of you who have not been moved so, live out a little longer... one of these days, you may look back and think "Oh. Well... that was [yesterday]" and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I hope you'll remember to come back to this game. And I hope you won't forget that for you, your [yesterday] may come tomorrow. :'D

I think the designer focused too much on the art aspect rather than the actual game play. Everything is so slow and repetative. it just drags on and on. Everything from swinging back and forth, to running and jumping, to waiting for the "fog" and "water" to clear takes forever. It is simplistic and annoying, and just doesn't make good gameplay.

I thought it was a wonderful, beautiful game. Is it groundbreaking as far as gameplay goes? Maybe not in the way you would normally apply that term. But it, along with things like Every Day The Same Dream, go a long way toward refuting those who say that games can't be art. Some people - traditionalists, not that there's anything wrong with loving traditional games (hey, I grew up with an Atari 2600) - who are looking for something else might do well to look elsewhere. But if you're a romantic at heart, play through this one and be moved.

You know, I thought it was beautiful, also. And definitely the best designed as well as the best to fit the theme, but I do agree that it lost me on the game play. It would have worked better as a short anime-type film for me.

I did not especially enjoy the "clickiness" or the need to repeat so many actions. I think, in part, this is because I'm not a platform-gamer. I better enjoy escape games and puzzle games. That said, I agree that the story and concept were incredibly moving and touching. I am not surprised, though, that it won. Not that the competition wasn't incredible, but this one stood head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the the contest's requirements.

Just that fact that there is such a split between people who like and dislike this game shows me how successful it is. I don't know if that makes much sense, but really an art game is never going to appeal to everyone.

For those wanting the secret endings.

Hint:

Look at the clock in the hospital.

Still need more help?

Answer:

You get a different ending depending on the time your system clock is set at.
playing from 12-4, 4-8, and 8-12 will get you different endings each time. (AM or PM)

Yes, I shared a similar frustation at the start having to readjust myself to the games' pace but once you slowed down and took everything in it suddenly became incredibly poignant and profound and realising the theme that linked the events

dog, friend, girlfriend

purely by progressing through the game you realise how powerfully done the whole thing was/is.

Have a bit of faith. Look left anyway, even though your dog isn't there, and the wall will recede.

-----

I liked this game very much; I thought it successfully used the gameplay to develop the themes, which is the most important thing for an art game.

I'd make the same criticism of this game as I did of the same author's previous game (I forget the name, but it involved flying and pursuing hearts): even when the story is told as well as this, I'd like something more complex than blue male protagonist pursues pink female object. After a while, it becomes frustrating attempting to identify with a supposedly emptyy character who is nonetheless laden with assumptions.

I officially don't get it. All I'm doing is running into the wall over and over and over. I can turn around and stare at the dog so the wall retreats, but the dog keeps barking at me to not do this, and nothing else happens no matter how long I do these things.

Does anyone know if there's a way to switch the controls to something other than the arrow keys? My keyboard won't let me press up and another key at the same time for some reason, which is preventing me from completing the part with the

It feels as though lately there's been a larger proportion of "art games" than usual. I'm certainly not against art games in general. (For example, Gregory Weir's games are some of my favorite flash games of all time.)
But I'm starting to get really tired of "games" that are neither fun nor interesting.

Isi said earlier, "All I'm doing is running into the wall over and over and over. I can turn around and stare at the dog so the wall retreats, but the dog keeps barking at me to not do this, and nothing else happens no matter how long I do these things."

That pretty much sums up my experience with the game. Add in the fact that I didn't care enough to go any further.

I wasn't interested in what was happening, it was slow and confusing and frustrating, and the dog was annoying. In short, it was boring.

Clearly there are many people here who connected with this on an emotional level. I'm certainly not trying to belittle those people's experience. As a work of art, I would say this was a resounding success. However, as a game, it was a failure.
- - - - - - - -
Response to general arguments in favor of art games:
Argument one: The game is supposed to be boring, it's making the point that . . . (insert point of game here)

Response: Games are supposed to be FUN and INTERESTING. If it's supposed to be boring, it's not a good game. it might be fantastic art, but it is a bad game.

Argument two: "You just didn't understand it."

Response: All kinds of art, from visual to culinary, hide behind the shield of "if you didn't like it, you didn't get it." It's an easy reply that absolves the artist of any responsibility for actually countering the criticism. They don't even have to explain what it is the critic was supposed to have "gotten."

If you disagree with me, at least do me the courtesy of responding to my points.

It isn't a game at all. I agree with alicem 100%. It wasn't clever, it was dull.

Th parts that made it up were nice. The visuals were way better than the other entries, the music was great, but there was nothing holding them together.

For something to be interactive, there must be some kind of interaction between the fiction and the reader. Holding diwn the forward key for ten minutes doesn't change the story (and I use that lightly) one bit.

Next contest I will make sure I have time to judge, if only to keep things like this from being passed off as anything other than sophomoric attempts as art.

I really didn't like this game- I felt it was an absolute slog of an experience. The interactivity amounted to "press this button when I tell you to" and the story was a child's idea of human relationships. Not the worst game in the competition, but close to.

To clarify my earlier comment, I was talking purely about gameplay, and it wasn't meant to belittle any emotional value this game may have. I'm sure the game has a lovely emotional element, but I CAN'T GET TO IT, because I'm seeing the exact same little montage every time I run into the wall, and I can't figure out how to progress.

I would agree that if I thought a game was boring, I would not respond to it emotionally. However, I (and, I suspect, the other people who liked this game) did not like it despite it being boring - I just didn't think it was boring, at all.

There is no objective criterion for what is dull and what is enjoyable. I very much enjoyed playing this game, and in addition I had an emotional response to it. Others obviously had a different reaction.

I really loved the narrative of this game. It is quite emotionally charged.

Very simple but effective.

The first time I played I got the dog... I didn't even think there was different endings, but I played through a few more times and kept getting your green friend. I see now from a previous spoiler that it depends on the time you play... I must go back and see the ending with the girlfriend

this game made me cry. This is not because it was so moving, but because it was so IMPOSSIBLE. I havent even gotten past the first screen! I jump into that wall. try to walk away like everyone say. I tried staring at the dog for ten minutes hoping he would see "how much i loved it" and nothing worked.

If it helps people, just don't call it a game. Because, to be blunt, it isn't one at all.

Yes, [Yesterday] has user input, but (as an analogy) so does an elevator. An elevator also has visuals (an LED display that displays numbers / the buttons themselves) and responds to user input (lighting up the button and opening the door at the appropriate floor). There is challenge (pressing the correct button) and excitement (going from one location to another). Using almost the most broadest definition of a 'game', an elevator is a 'game' [and it literally is amongst those who are very young].

Obviously, what I had before was a metaphorical example - if an elevator was ever rated as a 'game', you would probably expect to see negative scores. If you were an adult, that is. But there are always kids who do treat an elevator as a 'game' - always trying to pull pranks like pressing every button (and annoying adults), or treating it like a doorway to a new world.

In fact, there are probably a lot of things that we would consider as a 'game' back in the yesteryear - is it really fair to judge those games to those that we have now? Because while we might judge those games to be boring and a waste of money, we also understand that those same games would be very highly rated in that younger mindset.

Call it art, a movie, or even a web-toy if you wish. The idea is that if we realize that it's a horrible game, then perhaps we should look at it from another point of view, and put the connotation of 'game' away from us. After all, where in the rules did it say that submissions had to be a game?

---

Before I end, I ask those who are not willing to play this to take a moment to reflect, and think about the following:

Think back to a time in your life where you were alone. When you had no one around you (or perhaps those around you are superficial at best) and you know not where to go next. Everything is dark, confusing, and sometimes, you find yourself stuck by consistently going into your memories by saying "Only if I did this...".

Think to a time when you called someone 'Best Friends Forever'. Think back to the time you two met, how you met. Of the times that the two of you had both good times and bad times, of when you both supported each other. The times which you really thought that you two would be 'friends forever and ever'. And when you two slowly began to drift apart for whatever reasons: a huge fight for the same partner, disagreement on certain views, or just because you two stopped communicating.

Think to the time when you had your first crush. The time when you yearned for that special person, always wondering how s/he would respond. The times you two spent together as a couple (or any that you wished you two could spend as a couple), perhaps as merely 'friends' as neither of you two could admit, or perhaps a mere one sided love. And the time when you separated from this crush of yours, whether it because you two moved apart, or either of you found a better person, or maybe because you finally accepted that it was only a one-sided affection. The times when you wished that you two would stay together always, and that your experiences together would never end, but only to suffer a shattered dream.

I apologize for being so negative about everything. During my high school life, my life has became a literal roller-coaster ride as I've had good friends I've lost, and a one-sided crush that just went sour in the worst way possible. In a way, I relate to the dog scenario the most, as I feel like a loner, always trying to wander in the lost cold darkness, trying to find that friend that I simply can not see because I've never turned around.

No one can ask everyone to understand this. It is entirely your experiences, after all, and if you wish not to relate your experiences to those portrayed, there is absolutely nothing that anyone can say to do so.

It's mainly the three ideas portrayed in the 'game', so if you don't want to play, then perhaps this will do instead.

First off, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped out with this competition. This includes the staff, sponsors, entrants, readers, players, voters, commenters, lovers, and haters. I never expected this game to get as much attention as it did. I've made small-talk tweets before, and I know this thread isn't that much more formal, but thank you. To everyone.

I'm sorry to hear that so many people did not enjoy their time playing. Their feedback will certainly be taken into consideration as I continue making games. However, I thought I'd briefly explain my thought process so you can at least understand where I'm coming from.

In creating my game, I knew that there would be a tug of war between emotional connection and complex interactivity. This being a casual games site, I pushed more towards the side of a story-driven sequence of events and simplified the core mechanics to the point where they almost didn't need explanation.

I also removed traditional elements of games that would take away the player's focus on the story and pacing - health, lives, points, collectibles, etc. I simply wanted the player to continue moving forward. This is why when you fall off the edge of a platform, you are immediately placed back into the world to try again, with little consequence.

I originally had planned to have every sequence interactive in some way. While it would have been kind of fun to see what you can do in each shot, it would have taken away from the story I wanted to tell. It also would have overwritten the rules of what the arrow keys do. For these reasons, the majority of the game is spent watching a sequence of events unfold with zero interactivity. I'm actually not a fan of this kind of content, but this was the solution I came up with given the time constraints. If I had enough time to figure everything out, I would have wanted the entire game to be interactive and still retain the emotional attachment to the characters.

And now, I will have a mini interview with myself:

Am I happy with the game?
Definitely.

Did I need more time to work on it?
Always.

Is it a game?
Of course.

Is it a good game?
Depends who you ask, naturally.

Did you even get an emotional response out of your own game?
Actually, I did, but probably not in the same places as everyone else.

Do you ever plan to make something other than an art game?
I plan to make games. It's as simple as that.

How come the boy is blue and girl is pink?
It's the same reason why the friend is green, the dog is orange, and the nurse is purple. :]

Can you put together a soundtrack for your game?
I did. It's been requested a lot in the last three weeks, so you can find a download link on my blog (click my name at the bottom of this post. At the time of this writing, it's in the most recent blog entry).

So, to repeat myself, thank you to everyone. It's been a real learning experience to read all of the comments across the different forums. If I didn't get so many compliments, I wouldn't want to make another game. If I didn't get so much negativity, I wouldn't know how to improve my work as an artist and game designer. You've all been invaluable in helping me push forward and continue doing what I love to do. Thank you, everyone ♥

Thank you for the explication and insight into your game, Michael. I think the definition of "game" to be just as subjective as the definition of "art" and "good" can be, too.

I actually appreciated that you did not add too many of the traditional game play elements (health, lives, points, etc.) and would very much enjoy another game from you using more lateral thinking and task-based "puzzles" such as the figuring out to turn away from the wall and jumping buildings. The story was nice and the art beautiful, and when I played, I wished for more ways to interact.

I'm a big fan of point-and-click games, especially artistic/beautiful games like Samarost, Machinarium, and Hapland.... are you planning anything along those lines?

I really can't agree with the judges' decision on this one. Yes, it is a very good bit of visual story-telling, but that is all. The minimal gameplay served no purpose whatsoever. It would have exactly the same emotional impact - not to mention outcome - if all player controls were removed and it ran as simply a Flash animation. That is not a game in *any* sense of the word. It is certainly possibly to combine good story-telling and good gameplay: witness several of Lucasarts' titles that accomplish precisely that feat. Good gameplay gives the player freedom to try different approaches and strategies and even succeed when the player tries something the author never anticipated.

This would be more of a game if the obstacles were designed such that the player had more latitude in overcoming them - just as people overcome the obstacles and hardships of life in differing ways. That would in no way detract from the theme of the story.

This isn't to say [Yesterday] isn't good. In some ways it is much like a visual analog of the IF title Photopia. Photopia is an outstanding example of story-telling, but no one would consider it a game even though it is told in a format is often used to create games.

Thank you! Such a beautiful and touching game. Bravo! The game made me want to hug all of my loved ones (including my dog) :)

I didn't think it was too slow. The main character needed time to realize the love around him, and realistically, people take years to become aware of this. Loss of a loved one is difficult to experience and is an ongoing pain, not a quick and fleeting one. Kudos for portraying real-life emotions in such an eloquent yet accessible way.

I loved the game! Yes, it is a game, and in my opinion the interactivity, though minimal, gives players a sense of being part of the experience rather than being passive bystanders. Lack of lives to lose was a perfect touch, as it eliminated what could have been the only stress in the entire experience. Also, having to

figure out that you need to turn around and let the black mass go, even though your first instinct is to run into it,

gave me the message that

people should learn not to cling to things that hurt them in the past.

I played the game in the

early evening, so I got the friend ending.

Now I'd really like to know more about the original stories. I know they're open to interpretation, but I'm just a curious person.

How did the friend die? He was on top of buildings a lot, so did he fall or jump from one? Or was his death completely unrelated to that?

Who was the green lady at the friend's funeral? Sister? Wife?

Who was the girl? Was she his first love? Did he ever get over her? Did they used to be married?

beautiful concept.. I was actually touched after soldiering through some of the slower parts.. I get it. The things that we loved in the past don't have to hold us back - they can give us experience to move forward...

that being said.. I think it would've worked better as a point-and-click rather (for me) than a platform.

Surely art games should be art...but they should also remember to be GAMES first!

The problem here isn't that there are no "traditional elements of games" (health, lives, points, collectibles, etc.)

The problem here is that the first part is just WAY TOO LONG, expecially if, like me, you have a computer that lags: it ends up lasting forever and annoying the heck out of you.
I ended up putting a weight on the left arrow and doing something else while I waited for the guy to walk forward until he saw that black stuff again. Most people wouldn't even bother, and if I wasn't curious and was tired, I wouldn't have bothered too.

The rest of the game wasn't nearly as slow-paced and annoying, so it's really a pity. A lot of people will not get past the beginning and never discover that the game isn't a complete waste of time.

I really liked the change of visuals on the swings, though, interesting use of the point of view...
I also liked the the "ghosts" of the green friend, girlfriend and of the dog, and the way you had to use the swing to manipulate gravity.

Also, since looping music becomes annoying after a while, a mute button would be much appreciated. Most of the music of this game isn't all that great anyway.
(And the music on the swings is just terrible! WTH is up with that whistling/bells sound in the background!?! Was someone playing around with the settings of a toy electric piano?)

The story was impeccable, but I think the whole experience could've been better if there was more "game" to this game. I have to disagree with those that said it could work just as well as a non-interactive animation; interactivity just gets the player more involved in the story. I didn't shed a single tear after Titanic, but I bawled the first time I finished Ocarina of Time. This level of interactivity got me involved enough to make an impression, but not enough to really affect me, I felt.

This is a beautiful game. I'm not even sure if I can call it that, as it's more of an art form.

The story touched me in a remarkable way. Even though I have never lost a friend in quite the same way, I have lost a loved one who was like a best friend to me, which made the game personal in a way I never imagined possible.

The artwork was breathtaking and the music complemented it perfectly. Although I was frustrated when I started the game, it was worth it.

I for one like the game. almost started crying at the end! however the fact that il hav to play it twice more to fully understand each ending frustrates me, and i do get what some people are saying about repition. but lighten up! take it for what its worth and take it with a grain of salt. its tagged interatcive art not awesome action-packed games with artsy stuff! i mean really there is no need for these lengthy negative comments about how awful it was. just my opinion. (make it yours.)

I know I came to this game late, but I come here only occasionally. I have never cried at a game before, and even playing it twice I was a puddle. Yes, the first 30 seconds were, WTF is up with this - it's boring, but then I continued to play and I understood. And then I cried. The shadows at the end when you've mastered everything is what set me off the first time.

I will play this game again for emotional content. It's so simple to play that there's no thought involved, and that's the beauty of it. Now that I know about the spoilers that add to the gameplay, there'll be an added level of play, but not right now. I've cathartic-cried enough for one night.

Love this one. It is not the common game game, more of using the media of game as object to deliver a message, a perception, an experience, whatever you would call em. Thing is game is just a media so I don't think it have to be gamey to be a game, just like musics doesn't have to make sense or using real instruments.

I love the small details like the speed of the character and mostly how the wall nudging you to go forward and actually you should turn backward to interact with the other. Would say this is not just about relationship/ friendship but also about life, about the time well spent, the obstacles, to where it ends. I still don't understand one though, why it is snow land in the end?

See, to most of the people against this game, "games" used to revolve around game-play.

Yet, the gaming industry has changed, molded into not only a new skin, but a new soul.

Now, whether or not you welcome this change, you must judge games on the scale that it aims for. For example; you can not judge a cutesy game, such as Sissy's Magical Ponycorn Adventure, on how deep it is.

In the same way, you cannot judge this game on a scale of excitement.

Again, whether or not you wish the game industry to be game-play based, you can't criticize a game simply for what it aims to achieve.

Since so many games now can be played with swipes and quick presses, I'd almost forgotten about games that required one to hold down an arrow key, for way too long in some spots.
Well, I had to give up before finishing thanks to my arthritis.
That's why I give this game a 2.
It has a decent message. But even that I don't think is expressed well enough, or is as universal as the creator thinks it is.
I have lived. I have loved. And yet, I was not especially moved.

great game. the game was very satisfying due to the fact that it made me use my own imagination to piece the story together. the simplicity of the game is really enjoyable because it lets you focus more on the story and allows you to think instead of being frustrated with the gameplay. it was heartwarming throughout the whole game and make you think about the people that matter most in OUR lives. it handles very smoothly and it's worth being played. i like games that give me feels so this one was a winner for me

Nice game. Games without narrative always catch my interest because you have to pay more attention. I would have liked to see it stretched out a little more with the stories though. It seemed like the game had more potential, and was cut short.

Great game and wonderful story behind the game. It was very enjoyable and I'm incredibly happy i chose to play. The combination of interactive play and cut-scenes was outstanding and really pulled the game all together. Has a great moral to thinking in life and would recommend for other people to also play the game and go through the journey with him.

At first i seen thing game to be just a simple adventure style game where a simple character goes through obstacles with his dog by his side. Then as it progressed it was clear that this wasn't the case. The use of flashbacks as well as the use of lessons that the main character used from his past to move on in his future turned this simple game into a deep story that many people can relate to. This game isn't just visually beautiful to look at, its use of music heavily impacts its tone. At points where we are supposed to feel sad for the character, the music choice guides that emotion and at times when we see that he is advancing pact his troubles we can feel good thanks to the uplifting choice in music. I feel that the development of this small game is amazing and it is a great choice for anyone who is going through a rough time in their life thanks to a large amount of change.

I was very confused starting this game as to what the point was. As the game progressed I found that, though it had minimal actions, it told a greater story of love and loss. It showed it had a deeper meaning. That although the character has experienced love and loss, they have learned from their loved ones and they will always have them with him.

I think the focus on this game was more on the visuals and the narrative aspects of it rather than the actually game play. The movements definitely got repetitive but the story was different than you'd see in most games. Also the game didn't use text to relay to the story leaving room for the player to interpret it on their own which i find interesting.

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